


Cold

by leigh57



Category: 24
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-16
Updated: 2012-01-16
Packaged: 2017-10-29 15:18:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/321298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leigh57/pseuds/leigh57
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A/N: This takes place directly after Jack leaves Renee with Ziya at the beginning of 8x05.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Cold

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This takes place directly after Jack leaves Renee with Ziya at the beginning of 8x05.

_Don’t forget. I’m listening._

His words play in her head, over and over, nightmare LP with an insurmountable scratch.

She listens to the scrunch of his boots on the floor, watches him turn to shoot her a final glance – lock-jawed judgment and angry condescension. Each step he takes, each sharp rapid motion that distances his body from hers, eases the crushing in her chest.

She hates herself, her weakness, the tears stinging her eyes and the quiver in her voice.

This is why she didn’t return his calls.

She wanted to – on the worst days she wanted it more than she wanted to empty a 12-ounce glass of JD or cut herself. The last two times (before he gave up on her like everyone else and stopped calling at all) she’d stared at the caller ID for a few seconds (his name in neat black on the LCD screen – _Jack_ ) and abruptly smashed the phone down on the counter, slamming out of her apartment before her fingers answered in mutiny.

 _Don’t forget. I’m listening._

His voice is still there but his footsteps are gone. Without him _present_ (too much eye contact and too little personal space) she feels the treacherous warmth draining away, replaced with the chilling comfort of black empty nothing.

She only did what he would have done, what he taught her to do.

She doesn’t need him, his unwanted pity and relentless insistence that he’s been where she is (she knows he’s right, wants him gone because he is right; he’s always been right).

Yet as Ziya begins to move, rising to consciousness, Renee can’t push aside the memory of Jack’s smile when she turned in the chair, the spark in his eyes that felt like a match inside her, the heat of his body against hers, his arms so tight that (just for a second) she almost cracked.

Almost gave in.

 _Don’t forget. I’m listening._

She blinks three times and breathes, checking to make sure she’s cold again.

Freezing. Good.

He can listen all he wants, but she’s not going to let him hear _anything_.


End file.
